Power Ranking Every FBS Stadium

Putting them in order is quite a task. After all, how does one judge one against the other? Most fans think their stadium is the best and that is that.

As for my full disclosure, I have been to most Big Ten and Big East stadiums, as well as some Big 12 and ACC venues. In effect, I acknowledge my ignorance as it concerns most non-AQ conference stadiums, as well as the SEC and Pac-12.

Nevertheless, my criteria in ranking the stadiums was as follows:

Firsthand knowledge, when applicable

Last year's percentage of capacity filled

How the stadiums have filled their capacity over the years

Information I gleaned from various, more knowledgeable people than me

What I could find around the Internet

As for the Internet, I found most of my information on the following outstanding sources: StadiumJourney.com, CollegeGridirons.com, 2011 NCAA attendance, NCAA football attendance in the BCS era, various articles around the 'net, and a number of fellow FCs that were good enough to lend me their valuable assistance.

Also, any team that rents out its home stadium, typically from an NFL team, automatically went to the back of the list. As John Milton said, "It is better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven." In other words, it's better to play in one's own dive than try to treat an state-of-the-art NFL stadium as one's own.

108. Aggie Memorial Stadium, New Mexico State

Via Ballparks.com

Where Is It: Las Cruces, NM

Who Plays Here: New Mexico State Aggies

Capacity: 30,343

Been Around Since: 1978

2011 Percentage Capacity Filled: 49.89 percent

Bottom Line: According to StadiumJourney.com, "the annual prep matchup between the Las Cruces High and Mayfield football teams" generate more excitement than the typical New Mexico State home football game.

105. Bobcat Stadium, Texas State

2011 Percentage Capacity Filled: N/A, as Texas State doubled its capacity in preparation for joining FBS

Bottom Line: I admit I'm a sucker for a facade that resembles the Alamo.

That said, Texas State formerly did a good job of almost filling out its stadium when it had a 16,000-seat capacity. Its average attendance figure between 2006-2010 was 12,162. Don't expect the same this season, but it's worth giving the Bobcats the benefit of the doubt for a few years.

102. Johnny 'Red' Floyd Stadium, Middle Tennessee State

Bottom Line: An open end zone on the south hurts in terms of capturing noise.

On top of that, the attendance is dependent entirely on how the team is doing. That might seem like an obvious statement, but that white and orange team from the Volunteer State manages to fill its 100,000-plus stadium regardless of record.

78. Gerald J. Ford Stadium, SMU

Via Forum.playdom.com

Where Is It: University Park, TX

Who Plays Here: SMU Mustangs

Capacity: 32,000

Been Around Since: 2000

2011 Percentage Capacity Filled: 65.29 percent

Bottom Line: First of all, this is Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Gerald J. Ford is a billionaire banker that financed the stadium. He and the stadium have nothing to do with former president Gerald R. Ford, a Michigan alum and a superb football player in his time.

As it is Texas, people show up for the games. For that reason, Texas has high school stadiums that put a number of the aforementioned college stadiums to shame.

Even though it's not the Longhorns or the Aggies, SMU football represents the Lone Star State well.

73. Ryan Field, Northwestern

Bottom Line: Firstly, Ryan Field only fills up when one of the devoted traveling fanbases of the Big Ten—Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa, Wisconsin, Penn State and Nebraska—comes to town.

Secondly, if you are one of those traveling fanbases, the visitors section is so embarrassing the university should be ashamed to charge people $50 to sit in it.

If this sounds like sour grapes, then so be it, but I attended a game at Northwestern and the seats were so bad—the view of the field so impossible to see—that I left my seat, went the area behind the visiting team's field goal and watched the game on the Jumbotron.

In other words, I paid $50 to watch the game on a TV at the field. And I wasn't the only one.

Maybe it's a different experience when you're sitting somewhere other than the visitors section, but I've sat in other visitors sections before and never had a problem with the view.

69. M.M. Roberts Stadium, Southern Miss

Via Southernmiss.com

Where Is It: Hattiesburg, MS

Who Plays Here: Southern Miss Golden Eagles

Capacity: 33,000

Been Around Since: 1976

2011 Percentage Capacity Filled: 78.89 percent

Bottom Line: M.M. Roberts is home to one of the more exciting and pageantry-filled experiences of all of the non-AQ teams, which, in some fairness, don't have the money to put on a show like Bama, for example.

The "Nasty Bunch" cheer, the Pride of the Mississippi Band and the Dixie Darlings get the crowd set for a great show.

68. Vanderbilt Stadium, Vanderbilt

Via admissions.vanderbilt.edu

Where Is It: Nashville, TN

Who Plays Here: Vanderbilt Commodores

Capacity: 39,790

Been Around Since: 1922

2011 Percentage Capacity Filled: 82.65 percent

Bottom Line: Vanderbilt Stadium is a nice place, but despite a strong showing in 2011, the Commodores have a history of losing, and the energy of the place is predicated on the traveling fanbases of whomever the Commodores are playing that week.

67. Bright House Networks Stadium, Central Florida

Via Today.ucf.edu

Where Is It: Orlando, FL

Who Plays Here: Central Florida Knights

Capacity: 45,301

Been Around Since: 2007

2011 Percentage Capacity Filled: 75.64 percent

Bottom Line: Central Florida has a student body bigger than many AQ schools, and the Big East, if it can stay afloat, should be well advised, as every Florida school has every opportunity to be the next Miami (FL).

The stadium is known for bouncing to "Zombie Nation," and if recent sanctions (via The Orlando Sentinel) don't set the school back, UCF and Bright House Networks Stadium have a bright future.

66. Memorial Stadium, Indiana

Bottom Line: The stadium is pleasant, and there are few places more amenable and enjoyable than Bloomington.

However, Memorial Stadium is one of those cases where generations of football futility and the dedication of the school and fanbase to another sport—basketball—renders the stadium itself less than it could be.

65. Byrd Stadium, Maryland

Via greatexpectations.umd.edu

Where Is It: College Park, MD

Who Plays Here: Maryland Terrapins

Capacity: 54,000

Been Around Since: 1950

2011 Percentage Capacity Filled: 82.24 percent

Bottom Line: The stadium itself and the whole of the fandom isn't overly impressive. However, the student section brings their game as much as any student section in the country, and that, as much as anything makes Byrd Stadium.

61. Ross-Ade Stadium, Purdue

Bottom Line: I give the Purdue fans credit. They show up, they support their team and they have some great traditions including the Boilermaker special and the giant drum.

They have a decent stadium and palpable spirit, yet, the administration seems to do everything in its power to squash that spirit whether its closing its spring practice (via Purdue blog Hammerandrails.com) to raising prices when there is already trouble selling the place out.

58. Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, Louisville

Bottom Line: The recent and quick ascendency of the University of Louisville football program owes a good deal to its stadium.

It was the stadium and the money it generated that made it possible for the Cardinals to join the Big East in 2005. That move made it possible for UL to get a bid to the Orange Bowl and ultimately win it.

Despite this, the stadium itself, though usually full, is also quieter than one would expect.

Nonetheless, there is a lot of potential here. If the Cardinals can deliver on the promise of bid to a BCS game, the stadium could be the best in the conference, if not one of the best in the country.

56. Floyd Casey Stadium, Baylor

Bottom Line: Floyd Casey Stadium does a good job in bringing the noise and providing a solid atmosphere for college football.

Of course, Baylor has long been the doormat of whatever conference it has played in. Nonetheless, last year, with Robert Griffin III under center, Bears' fans only filled their home 82.74 percent of the time? Do they think they will ever have a chance to see a more dynamic player in person, in their own home stadium?

53. Stanford Stadium, Stanford

Via Primesport.com

Where Is It: Stanford, CA

Who Plays Here: Stanford Cardinal

Capacity: 50,000

Been Around Since: 2006

2011 Percentage Capacity Filled: 99.99 percent

Bottom Line: Stanford Stadium used to have a capacity of 85,000. Following the 2005 season, the stadium was renovated and 35,000 seats—many of which were obstructed and often unfilled—were removed. This was a good plan.

Since then, rather than playing in front of a half-empty house, the Cardinal have been playing to a sold-out venue.

Of course, Jim Harbaugh, Andrew Luck and the recent success of Stanford may have played a part in that.

Stanford Stadium isn't the biggest, loudest or most legendary place in the Golden State, but it may be the most idyllic.

52. Arizona Stadium, Arizona

Bottom Line: Arizona Stadium has undergone a number of upgrades over its history.

Specifically, there have been seventh with an eighth currently underway that will include an expansion of the north end zone stands, and a new video board that will be the fourth largest in college football.

Now, it will be up to new head coach Rich Rodriguez to improve the team and bring in the fans.

49. TCF Bank Stadium, Minnesota

Via utvsnewsnow.com

Where Is It: Minneapolis, MN

Who Plays Here: Minnesota Golden Gophers

Capacity: 50,805

Been Around Since: 2009

2011 Percentage Capacity Filled: 93.92 percent

Bottom Line: The Gophers made a 25-plus year mistake in knocking down the old Memorial Stadium and opting to play in the Metrodome. It was a mistake that all but killed the football team's fan support.

However, the university has righted its wrong, and built a superb new on-campus, outdoor venue, where fans are treated to the coldest climate in the FBS.

If Jerry Kill can upgrade the team, this can be one of the better environments in the Big Ten.

48. Memorial Stadium, California-Berkeley

Via Calalumnipride.org

Where Is It: Berkeley, CA

Who Plays Here: Cal Golden Bears

Capacity: 62,717

Been Around Since: 1923

2011 Percentage Capacity Filled: 83.68 percent

Bottom Line: The Bears played their 2011 home games at AT&T Park, in order to allow for time to undergo major renovations. The renovation project addressed existing seismic safety issues. That's life on the fault line.

2012 will see a return to Memorial Stadium, which will include a decreased capacity from the former 72,000.

In effect, the attendance, which fell off severely in 2011, is likely to jump back up into near-packed houses.

44. Faurot Field, Missouri

Bottom Line: Nothing says home to Mizzou fans like a huge, rock "M" in the north end zone.

The stadium itself has an old-school charm, and the fans have been reinvigorated by a decade-long rise under head coach Gary Pinkel. Time will tell if a new conference will help the Tigers to continue that rise or if it will see them fade.

41. Commonwealth Stadium, Kentucky

Via Nationofblue.com

Where Is It: Lexington, KY

Who Plays Here: Kentucky Wildcats

Capacity: 60,081

Been Around Since: 1973

2011 Percentage Capacity Filled: 88.76

Bottom Line: Commonwealth Stadium can best be called congenial and underrated. After all, when it shares, or rather defers, the limelight to fellow SEC programs like LSU or Georgia, it will obviously get overlooked.

This is complicated by years of being one of the conference's basement dwellers.

Despite this, Kentucky fans do an admirable job of packing the place, even though, more often than not, they know their team will lose.

40. Carter-Finley Stadium, North Carolina State

Bottom Line: The most impressive element of Carter-Finley Stadium is that it sells out despite the mediocre performance of the Wolfpack.

It is fine and well to sell out when the team is 12-0. On the other hand, when the team has a history of so-so play, yet the stadium sells out its season tickets nine years in a row, the stadium and its fans must be doing something right.

26. Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Arkansas

Via Arkansasrazorbacks.com

Where Is It: Fayetteville, AR

Who Plays Here: Arkansas Razorbacks

Capacity: 72,000

Been Around Since: 1938

2011 Percentage Capacity Filled: 93.04

Bottom Line: Given who I've talked to and what I've read, I suspect observing a game at Razorback Stadium as a Hogs fan, and observing it as the fan of the opposing team or even an objective bystander are two separate events.

This could be said for any game, but it would appear particularly in Fayetteville.

Nevertheless, one thing is consistent: The only thing going on in Fayetteville on game day is the game.

That said, as with TCU, I find it funny that a university known for its math doesn't realize that more than 100 percent capacity is impossible. Unless, of course, 100 capacity is really 95 percent capacity.

21. Bronco Stadium, Boise State

Bottom Line: One could argue which stadium is the best, one could argue which is the loudest and one could argue which is the most comfortable.

However, there is no argument about which is the most unique.

There is also no argument about how much of home-field advantage Boise gains because of the turf. Certainly, BSU doesn't play a difficult home stand in terms of opponents, but having to adjust to the turf is a big reason why head coach Chris Petersen has a career record of 37-1 at home.

17. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, USC

Bottom Line: There are few venues in the world of sports, let along college sports, that have the history and prestige of the Coliseum.

Nonetheless, I was surprised to see USC draw only 79.92 percent of capacity last season. The Trojans were exempt from a bowl, but I guarantee Ohio State, which is bowl-exempt, will fill to capacity this year. I guarantee Tennessee or LSU or any number of other programs, if on sanctions, would fill to capacity.

Furthermore, Southern Cal seems complacent, unlike so many other venues that are always looking for something new to draw people in.

That said, this is not an excuse to harp on USC and the Coliseum. If it is No. 17, it must be doing something right.

Michigan Stadium, due to its wide-open architecture, has a well-deserved reputation for letting noise out. There were renovations completed in 2010 that, among other things, included a new large press box that reputedly keeps in 30 percent more noise.

I haven't been to The Big House since before the renovation, but if it is indeed louder, then Michigan Stadium might deserve to move up.

13. Memorial Stadium, Clemson

Bottom Line: "Death Valley" is such a premium sight, that the usual dynamic went backwards—the NFL's Carolina Panthers played there before moving into Bank of America Stadium.

The reason it is called "Death Valley," by the way is for several reasons. Firstly, it sits in a valley. Secondly, it once overlooked the university cemetery, and finally, opponents have claimed to be "killed" there.

12. Memorial Stadium, Nebraska

Via Huskers.com

Where Is It: Lincoln, NE

Who Plays Here: Nebraska Cornhuskers

Capacity: 81,076

Been Around Since: 1923

2011 Percentage Capacity Filled: 105.15

Bottom Line: Memorial Stadium in Lincoln is the home to the longest sell-out streak in the country. The record stands at 318 games, as the college football world winds into the 2012 season. That sell-out streak dates back to 1962.

While a "sea of red" seems to have biblical allusions, in Nebraska it means a typical autumn day.

8. Bryant-Denny Stadium, Alabama

Via 101qs.com

Where Is It: Tuscaloosa, AL

Who Plays Here: Alabama Crimson Tide

Capacity: 101,821

Been Around Since: 1929

2011 Percentage Capacity Filled: 100.00

Bottom Line: We're now in hallowed territory.

Upon surveying a number of more knowledgeable-than-me SEC fans, more than one listed Bryant-Denny as the No. 1 stadium in the SEC. In fact, one Auburn fan listed Bryant-Denny as the No. 1 stadium in the SEC. Is that tantamount to treason?

Either way, at this point, one could make an argument for Bama's home being No. 1 on the list, and I would be disinclined to argue.

4. Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame

Via NCAAstadiumsounds.com

Where Is It: South Bend, IN

Who Plays Here: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Capacity: 80,795

Been Around Since: 1930

2011 Percentage Capacity Filled: 100.00

Bottom Line: Take a random sampling of 100 die-hard college football fans from all over the country, and have them make a list of the top 10 stadiums they'd like to see before they die. I guarantee almost every one of them will have Notre Dame Stadium on that list.

It terms of pageantry, tradition and classicism, there is Notre Dame and then everybody else.